Endometrial Thickness as a Test for Endometrial Cancer in Women With Postmenopausal Vaginal Bleeding

Novel diagnostic approaches to intrauterine neoplasm in fertile age: sonography and hysteroscopy

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is the most common gynecological malignancy in the world. It is mostly detected in postmenopausal women, but it can also occur in women of fertile age who need fertility-sparing therapy. An early diagnosis is the main objective for the correct management of these patients, making it possible to use a fertility-sparing treatment approach without exposing the patients to the risk of cancer progression. In this review, we discuss the role of sonography and hysteroscopy in the detection of intrauterine neoplasm in women of childbearing age.

Influence of phytoestrogens on endometrial thickness: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the influence of the use of phytoestrogens on variations in endometrial thickness in postmenopausal women. Randomized controlled trials were searched in the following electronic databases until March 2020: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and LILACS. We used the terms 'phytoestrogens' and 'endometrium' or 'endometrial hyperplasia' to search for relevant trials. The data were analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software. A total of 10 studies involving 1476 patients were included. The difference in endometrial thickness was evaluated in 10 studies, with a total of 805 participants in the phytoestrogen group and 761 in the control group. Such a difference was not significant between groups after 3 months (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.37 to 0.37; I² = 63%), 6 months (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.79 to 0.19; I² = 70%), 12 months (SMD -0.02, 95% CI 0.22 to -0.18; I² = 0%) and 24 months (SMD -0.09, 95% CI -0.25, 0.08; I² = 0%) of use. Our meta-analysis shows no changes in endometrial thickness in women using phytoestrogens. Evidence is still uncertain owing to the presence of heterogeneity among the studies currently available, whose reported outcomes cover a period between 3 and 6 months.

Typical ultrasound features of various endometrial pathologies described using International Endometrial Tumor Analysis (IETA) terminology in women with abnormal uterine bleeding

OBJECTIVE

To describe the ultrasound features of different endometrial and other intracavitary pathologies inpre- and postmenopausal women presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding, using the International Endometrial Tumor Analysis (IETA) terminology.

METHODS

This was a prospective observational multicenter study of consecutive women presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding. Unenhanced sonography with color Doppler and fluid-instillation sonography were performed. Endometrial sampling was performed according to each center's local protocol. The histological endpoints were cancer, atypical endometrial hyperplasia/endometrioid intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN), endometrial atrophy, proliferative or secretory endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, endometrial polyp, intracavitary leiomyoma and other. For fluid-instillation sonography, the histological endpoints were endometrial polyp, intracavitary leiomyoma and cancer. For each histological endpoint, we report typical ultrasound features using the IETA terminology.

RESULTS

The database consisted of 2856 consecutive women presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding. Unenhanced sonography with color Doppler was performed in all cases and fluid-instillation sonography in 1857. In 2216 women, endometrial histology was available, and these comprised the study population. Median age was 49 years (range, 19-92 years), median parity was 2 (range, 0-10) and median body mass index was 24.9 kg/m² (range, 16.0-72.1 kg/m² ). Of the study population, 843 (38.0%) women were postmenopausal. Endometrial polyps were diagnosed in 751 (33.9%) women, intracavitary leiomyomas in 223 (10.1%) and endometrial cancer in 137 (6.2%). None (0% (95% CI, 0.0-5.5%)) of the 66 women with endometrial thickness < 3 mm had endometrial cancer or atypical hyperplasia/EIN. Endometrial cancer or atypical hyperplasia/EIN was found in three of 283 (1.1% (95% CI, 0.4-3.1%)) endometria with a three-layer pattern, in three of 459 (0.7% (95% CI, 0.2-1.9%)) endometria with a linear endometrial midline and in five of 337 (1.5% (95% CI, 0.6-3.4%)) cases with a single vessel without branching on unenhanced ultrasound.

CONCLUSIONS

The typical ultrasound features of endometrial cancer, polyps, hyperplasia and atrophy and intracavitary leiomyomas, are described using the IETA terminology. The detection of some easy-to-assess IETA features (i.e. endometrial thickness < 3 mm, three-layer pattern, linear midline and single vessel without branching) makes endometrial cancer unlikely. Copyright © 2020 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Urinary Biomarkers and Their Potential for the Non-Invasive Detection of Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract and its incidence is rising in parallel with the mounting prevalence of obesity. Early diagnosis has great potential to improve outcomes as treatment can be curative, especially for early stage disease. Current tests and procedures for diagnosis are limited by insufficient accuracy in some and unacceptable levels of invasiveness and discomfort in others. There has, therefore, been a growing interest in the search for sensitive and specific biomarkers for endometrial cancer detection based on non-invasive sampling methodologies. Urine, the prototype non-invasive sample, is attractive for biomarker discovery as it is easily accessible and can be collected repeatedly and in quantity. Identification of urinary biomarkers for endometrial cancer detection relies on the excretion of systemic biomarkers by the kidneys or urinary contamination by biomarkers shed from the uterus. In this review, we present the current standing of the search for endometrial cancer urinary biomarkers based on cytology, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic platforms. We summarize the biomarker candidates and highlight the challenges inherent in urinary biomarker discovery. We review the various technologies with promise for biomarker detection and assess these novel approaches for endometrial cancer biomarker research.

TAS-108: A Novel Steroidal Antiestrogen

TAS-108 is a novel steroidal antiestrogen compound that has a strong binding affinity to the estrogen receptor and, in preclinical studies, has antitumor activity against tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cell lines. Its molecular mechanisms of actions are different from those of tamoxifen and fulvestrant. TAS-108 showed tissue-selective agonist activity in the bone and cardiovascular systems and, in preclinical and phase I studies, did not show any effect on the endometrium. In a phase I study, TAS-108 was well tolerated at doses ranging from 40 to 160 mg/d with no maximum tolerated dose. Toxicities included hot flashes, headache, and nausea and vomiting. The drug has linear pharmacokinetics. In the phase I study, there was evidence of biological antitumor activity, with stable disease noted in several patients. A phase II study is ongoing, and phase III studies are being planned with the drug.